The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, which funds the agency, has now passed in both the U.S. House and Senate, and it includes a provision from a North Carolina lawmaker and an Arizona former astronaut and Senator that would more tightly regulate high-altitude balloons.
The legislation was prompted by a balloon that tracked across the U.S. in February of 2023 before it was shot down by the military off the coast of South Carolina; it was referred to as a Chinese surveillance balloon.
The ‘Seeing Objects at Altitude Regularly’, or SOAR Act, directs the FAA to issue new regulations to require that all high-altitude balloons operating 18,000 feet above sea level be equipped with a tracking system that will transmit the balloon’s altitude, identity, and location.
North Carolina U.S. Sen. Budd said the legislation was written in order to better protect America’s skies.
Sen. Mark Kelly said it will strengthen national security by equipping the military with the necessary tools to identify and respond to potential threats swiftly and effectively.
